SCP-050 - The next generation CMOS/SOS LSI spaceborne computer

A new spacecraft computer has been developed to replace the SCP-234 which has flown in operational missions of DMSP and TIROS spacecrafts since 1976. In these applications the computers are responsible for ascent guidance, attitude determination and other housekeeping functions. The new computer, the SCP-050, is software compatible with the SCP-234 and provides significant improvements in throughput, reliability, weight, and volume. These benefits are mainly derived from extensive use of CMOS/SOS LSI technology. LSI development costs were kept relatively low by using a bit slice microprocessor chip as the heart of the processor and augmenting it with gate universal arrays.